Vikings release linebacker Nathan Williams, sign Stanford Keglar

In a minor Tuesday afternoon roster move, the Vikings have released linebacker Nathan Williams and signed Stanford Keglar to take his place.

Williams, an undrafted free agent out of Ohio State, underwent offseason ankle surgery and started training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Last week, coach Leslie Frazier sounded optimistic that Williams would soon come off the PUP list. But his progress was obviously not significant enough at this point.

Keglar was with the Vikings during their offseason program but was released in late June to make room on the roster for Desmond Bishop. The 28-year-old Keglar has experience with both the Titans and Texans but hasn't played in an NFL game since 2010.

With Bishop still dealing with a groin pull and starters Erin Henderson and Chad Greenway not likely to play much, if at all, in the Vikings' preseason opener Friday, the signing of Keglar adds additional depth to help the defense get through this week's game against Houston.

Matt Vensel is in his first year at the Star Tribune after covering the Ravens for the Baltimore Sun for six years. He is a Pittsburgh native and a Penn State grad. Follow him at @mattvensel.

Mark Craig has covered the NFL for 23 years, and the Vikings since 2003 for the Star Tribune. He is one of 44 Pro Football Hall of Fame selectors. Follow him at @markcraignfl.

Master Tesfatsion is the Star Tribune’s digital Vikings writer. He is a 2013 graduate of Arizona State and worked for mlb.com before arriving in Minneapolis. Follow him at @masterstrib.